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napa-

indicates accidental or unintentional action

affix NA-pa Grammatical origin Less Common

Usage Note

Napa- is a verb prefix attached to roots to form completed-aspect verbs expressing involuntary or unintended actions — the actor could not help doing it. It appears in common words like napatawa and napangiti and is very frequent in casual conversation.

Examples

Beginner

" Napatayo ako sa gulat. "

Natural Translation

I suddenly stood up in surprise.

Literal Translation

Suddenly-stood I in surprise.

Intermediate

" Napalingon ako sa ingay. "

Natural Translation

I suddenly turned to look at the noise.

Literal Translation

Suddenly-turned-to-look I at noise.

Advanced

" Napatawa kaming lahat nang biglang madapa ang aso habang naghahabol ng pusa sa bakuran. "

Natural Translation

We all burst out laughing when the dog suddenly tripped while chasing a cat in the yard.

Literal Translation

Burst-laughing we all when suddenly tripped the dog while chasing of cat in yard.

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